Ware
Cara Beard
Full-time musician and singer-songwriter Cara started learning guitar at HCM at a young age, before continuing her music studies with a two-year Level 3 Music Performance Diploma in Vocals from 2014 to 2016 at HCM Music College.
Cara now spends her time gigging in London and writing, releasing and promoting music in her country-pop duo Darline, who had a song up for consideration as the UK’s entry for Eurovision in 2016. We asked Cara about her time at HCM, and how it’s set her up for what she’s doing now.
How did HCM help you achieve your musical goals?
My time at HCM helped me become a well-rounded musician and gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a career in the music industry. I made friends for life and connections in the music business, as well as developing my vocal and guitar skills in both performance and theory. I continuously use these in my career, on top of the valuable band skills I learnt. When I began my course, I wasn’t confident on the DAW programme Logic but I was taught these skills at HCM and now I use them every day. I was a gigging musician at the time I started my diploma and HCM was incredibly supportive of this, offering live gig opportunities throughout the year at the local pub in Ware called the HCM Sessions, for bands or acoustic acts. When I signed with the record label Warner Music during my time at college and became quite busy at the start of my career, HCM was really accommodating with my timetable.
What’s the most exciting thing you’ve done in your career so far?
In 2016, my band Darline was chosen as one of six acts to participate in Eurovision: You Decide – a TV show where viewers pick the song they want to appear as the UK’s entry for the Eurovision Song Contest. We sang the song ‘Until Tomorrow’ and it was a great honour to be part of something so huge. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it through to Stockholm, but we had such an incredible time and it was an experience I felt ready for largely because of the training I had thanks to HCM.
What exciting projects do you have coming up?
I’m hoping to release my own original music, as I’ve been busy working on other projects over the last few years and writing a lot for my duo, so I’m really excited to get the chance to do this. I’m also hoping to perform while traveling around various countries in the near future, such as Greece and Denmark!
To keep track of Cara and her musical success, follow Cara Beard Music on Facebook and Twitter.
If you are interested in vocal lessons at HCM, you can either complete our enquiry form and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours or alternatively you can get in touch with the team directly on 01920 460646 or by email: learn@h-c-m.co.uk – we’re here to answer all of your questions.